Re: [Leica] Barnack, Zeiss, and Leitz

["Dan Post" <dwpost@email.msn.com>]

Do you reckon Barnack had a hand in the design of my circa 1920 Leitz
'scope? If so, it makes one a little more humble having a piece of history
so close at hand!
Dan
- -----Original Message-----
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Date: Wednesday, March 03, 1999 2:44 PM
Subject: [Leica] Barnack, Zeiss, and Leitz


>At 10:55 AM 1999-03-03 -0800, Mark Rabiner wrote:
>>The latest I've read is that Barnak brought his
>>camera design over from Zeiss because they STHEO* kept making him sweep
>>the floors!
>>* something to the effect of
>
>
>No, Barnack was a foreman mechanic at Zeiss, and hardly swept floors.
>
>It is immensely more complex than that.  Barnack was a product of the older
>school of German optical production;  he had come up as an apprentice and
>had worked his way up without much formal schooling.  He worked for Zeiss
>for some years as a microscope designer, but that concern had been the
>first in Germany to place a premium on the possession of a college degree
>or equivalent certification.  And Barnack was an asthmatic:  as such, he
>wished to be placed on the Zeiss medical-health-insurance plan but, at the
>time, this was restricted to management only, and he was simply a foreman.
>Zeiss sent him to ICA in an attempt to circumvent this restriction, but it
>didn't work.
>
>At that time, Barnack's friend, Mechau, had been hired by Leitz and talked
>the Leitz people into offering Barnack a job which did include the desired
>medical insurance coverage, along with a house and unlimited sick-leave.
>So, Barnack jumped ship and became the head of mechanical design at Leitz,
>working on microscopes and similar technical gear.
>
>All of this occurred some time before Barnack ever dreampt of the UR-Leica.
>
>Marc
>
>msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
>Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!
>